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Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture
Picture of child in school

The remit of the committee is to consider and report on (a) further and higher education, lifelong learning, schools, pre-school care, skills and other matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning; and (b) matters relating to culture and the arts falling within the responsibility of the Minister for Culture and External Affairs.


Membership
Karen Whitefield (Convener)   
Kenneth Gibson (Deputy Convener)   
Alasdair Allan
Claire Baker
Ken Macintosh
Christina McKelvie
Elizabeth Smith
Margaret Smith
For further information on the Committee's current and past membership including substitutes, follow this link. Information on how to contact the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee can be found on the Contact Details page.

Current Business

The Committee will consider its work programme at its meeting on 22 September and, thereafter, this page will be updated.

Autism (Scotland) Bill

The Committee has been designated the lead committee for consideration of the Autism (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.  The Committee considered its approach to consideration of the Bill on 29 June 2010.

Further information on the Autism (Scotland) Bill.

Further information on the Committee's consideration of the Autism (Scotland) Bill.

Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill

The Parliament agreed the general principles of the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill on 16 June.  Stage 2 proceedings will be held in September.

Further information on the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill.

Further information on the Committee's consideration of the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill.

Forthcoming evidence sessions

The Committee has made a commitment to take evidence on the following issues and these will be scheduled when the work programme allows:

  • Tripartite Advisory Group on higher education – follow up (evidence session with stakeholders, followed by evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning);
  • Teacher numbers/ employment of probationary teachers (evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, provisionally scheduled for autumn 2010).

Future structure of schools management in Scotland

The Committee commissioned research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on models of school management in other UK jurisdictions and internationally and issued a call for evidence (closing date for submissions was 2 July).

Further information on the Committee's consideration of the future structure of schools management in Scotland.

Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill

The Committee has been designated the lead committee for consideration of the Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.  The Committee will commence evidence taking at its meeting on 8 September.

Further information on the Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill.

Further information on the Committee's consideration of the Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill.

Local authority funding of education and children’s services

The Committee is undertaking a scoping exercise to consider the options for a possible future inquiry into this issue.

Further information on the Committee’s scoping exercise on local authority funding of education and children’s services.

Offender learning

The Committee will re-consider this issue when the Scottish Government publishes its response to the Offender Learning project.

Scottish Government class sizes policy

The Committee took evidence on the Scottish Government’s class size policy from selected local authorities, COSLA and ADES at its meeting on 3 March 2010 and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning at its meeting on 10 March 2010.

Further information on the Committee’s evidence taking on the Scottish Government’s class sizes policy.

Scottish local newspaper industry

The Committee published its report on the industry on 2 July.

Further information on the Committee’s evidence on the Scottish local newspaper industry.

Widening access to higher education reporters’ inquiry

Claire Baker MSP has been appointed as reporter on widening access to higher education.

Due to ongoing reviews in this area by the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council, the Committee agreed that it would reconsider this issue following reporters meeting with representatives from these organisations and Universities Scotland.


Committee Meetings

View live committee meetings or view archived committee meetings

Next Meeting:

Last Meeting: 20th Meeting, Tuesday 29 June 2010

Previous Meetings


Committee Reports

Recent Committee Reports: